Buhari Assents To Copyright, Medical School Bills

Two bills recently passed by the 9th National Assembly have been signed by President Muhammadu Buhari into law.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), Nasiru Ila disclosed this in a statement titled ‘Buhari Assents to Copyright Right, Federal College of Medical Laboratory Science and Technology Jos Bills.’

Ila noted that President Buhari assented to the bills on March 17.

The statement reads, “COPYRIGHT ACT 2022: This Act repeals the Copyright Act, Cap C28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and enact the Copyright Act, 2022, to provide for the regulation, protection and administration of copyright. The enactment of the new Copyright Act has again demonstrated the commitment of this administration to re-energising Nigeria’s creative economy and making it more globally competitive in the digital age.

“The principal objectives of the new law, as outlined in Section 1 are to: protect the rights of authors and ensure just rewards and recognition for their intellectual efforts; provide appropriate limitations and exceptions to guarantee access to creative works; facilitate Nigeria’s compliance with obligations arising from relevant international copyright treaties and conventions; and enhance the capacity of the Nigerian Copyright Commission for effective regulation, administration, and enforcement.”

It added that the new Copyright Act expands the rights of authors, raises the sanctions for criminal infringements and more adequately addresses the challenges posed by digital and online use of copyright works.

The Act also provides specially for the needs blind, visually impaired and print-disabled persons to have access to learning and reading materials in accessible formats, according to Ila.

The statement further stated, “FEDERAL COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, JOS ACT, 2023: This Act repeals the Federal School of Medical Laboratory Science, Jos (Establishment) Act, 2018, and enacts the Federal College of Medical Laboratory Science and Technology, Jos Act, 2023, establishes the Federal College of Medical Laboratory Science, Jos, to make the Institution more effective in the discharge of its functions by strengthening the organisational framework, and to bring its provision in conformity with current democratic principles and operations of existing educational institutions, and the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Buhari had on the same day signed into law, 16 out of the 35 bills seeking to amend various parts of the 1999 Constitution, which were passed by the National Assembly and concurred with by the required number of state Houses of Assembly.

The Constitution amendment bills included those seeing to devolve powers from the Federal Government to the states, moving some items from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List in the Constitution.